People often talk about ideas as if they just appear. The classic “lightbulb moment”, a flash of inspiration out of nowhere.
In my experience, that’s not really how it works.
Most good ideas come from working through a problem properly. Understanding how something actually works, where it breaks down, and what’s realistically possible. At some point it can feel like a moment of inspiration, but that moment is usually built on a lot of thinking that’s already happened.
When someone says “we just need a great idea”, what they often need is a clearer definition of the problem and a more disciplined way of working through it.
That’s particularly true with physical products. If it has to move, function, be manufactured, hit a cost, and still appeal to a customer, there’s no room for guesswork. The idea has to stand up commercially as well as technically.
That’s always been the focus of my work. Developing functional products that are designed to move, work in the real world, and ultimately sell.
Not magic. Just applied thinking backed by experience.